Welcome

Let’s talk about names.

I’m known these days as Josh Ng. “Ng” reflects my Chinese ethnicity, though my nationality is Malaysian.

Joshua was the Christian name I was given at birth. It wasn’t put into my official papers, but I was called by that name in the Presbyterian church that I grew up in. I learned that in the original Hebrew (Yehoshua) it meant “the LORD is salvation,” a phrase that I discovered to be the central theme of my life.

Joshua was shortened to Josh when I went to study in the USA. It annoyed me at first, this American habit of shortening names without my permission, but this casual aesthetic grew on me, as did the rest of their culture. The country would become an important part of my identity. It’s where I earned my B.A. and also where I met Lindsey, the girl I will marry a few months after I write this.

I decided to name this blog Soul Feed, which has a double meaning. The first one has to do with “feed” in terms of a broadcast or online notification (like an RSS feed for a blog), in which case Soul Feed refers to a broadcasting of what goes on in my soul, i.e. my thoughts.

The second one is a spin on “fish feed.” The idea is that the soul needs sustenance as well as the body. This is partly inspired by a story recounted by the Christian artist Makoto Fujimura regarding his wife. During a financially difficult time in their newlywed life, Judy goes out and buys a bouquet of flowers. When Fujimura gets angry, she replies, “We need to feed our souls, too.” That is the simple agenda of this blog—to provide some nourishment for the soul.

Most of the writings here will be theological, though I will also dabble in some other subjects as a generalist. If that sounds appealing to you, welcome to Soul Feed.